Uterus Contractions---How fast will your uterus shrink?

How long will it take for my uterus to shrink?

By the time you go into labor, your uterus is about 15 times heavier  and its capacity is at least 500 times greater than before you conceived.

 Within minutes after your baby is born, contractions cause your uterus to shrink, clenching itself like a fist, its crisscrossed fibers tightening just like they did during labor

 

For the first couple of days after giving birth, you can feel the top of your uterus at or a few finger widths below the level of your belly button. In a week, your uterus weighs a little over a pound –

half of what it weighed just after you gave birth. After two weeks, it's down to a mere 11 ounces and located entirely within your pelvis.

By about four weeks, it should be close to its pre-pregnancy weight of 3.5 ounces or less. This process is called involution of the uterus.

Even after your uterus shrinks back into your pelvis, you may continue to look somewhat pregnant for several weeks or longer. That's because your abdominal muscles get stretched out during pregnancy, and it will take time – and regular exercise – to get your belly back in shape.